I had the good fortune to be invited to a small dinner with Bernard de Laage, director of Chateau Palmer last night. The theme was, that everyone should bring a bottle of a classic, non-Bordeaux wine; and Bernard could bring as much Palmer as he wanted. Before getting to the wines, I would like to commend Convivio on exceptional service in both food and wine. We were given boatloads of stemware and decanters, and wine service was handled smoothly and professionally. I can’t recall the last time I had such strong service on BYO wine. Also, the restaurant had prepared notepads with all of the wines listed and flighted, a very nice touch.

We opened with two selections off the list. The first was Pacherhof Kerner Valle Isario 2009. It reminded me of Gruner Veltliner, very fresh but with some palate weight. Bernard thought it had too much sugar; I might have felt the same way if drinking half the bottle, but it didn’t bother me on an 8-way split. The other was one of Friuli’s famous “orange wines,” the Damijan Kaplja Bianco 2004, a blend of Chardonnay, Tocai Friulano and Malvasia Istria. The color was, indeed, orange, as were the flavors when it was first poured. There was a touch of oxidation, no doubt intentional, and with air, the tannin started to emerge. Fascinating wine, although I don’t think I’d want to have this sort of thing too often.

Because a number of people were late arriving, we’d had the “Historical XIX Century Blend Lot 20.04” as an aperitif. This 100 case cuvee was made in 2004, 2006 and 2007, and is a blend of 85% fruit from Chateau Palmer and 15% Hermitage from an unnamed source. The wine was made as an experiment with the 19th century practice of adding Hermitage to Bordeaux to give it additional weight; I’ve even heard stories of a very old merchant price list where “Lafite Hermitagee” traded at a premium to straight Lafite. The “20.04” designation means that it’s a 2004 vintage wine, but because it’s a blend from two AOCs, it cannot carry a vintage or appellation. I’ve had the wine several times and thought it was at its best on release, although it remains both interesting and tasty. The nose strongly suggests Rhone, with gamy syrah notes; on the palate there’s excellent red fruit, good acidity, well integrated wood, but a bit of oxidation that makes me worry about its future.

I’ve had the pleasure of dining with Bernard de Laage and technical director (who was not present last night) Thomas Duroux several times and it’s always a great experience. While their reverence for Palmer (which, despite the English origin of the name, they pronounce Pahl-MAIR in the French style) is obvious, they’re not afraid to find what they’d call “other expressions of Palmer,” such as the Hermitaged blend, or the white they’re now making from a blend of Muscadelle, Sauvignon Gris, Merlot Blanc and Lauzet, the latter a Jura variety that they are experimenting with. Bernard had brought the 2008, which showed a grassy nose, good freshness and acidity, but a light body which Bernard attributed to the young vines; until the vines are of an age to produce a wine with more body, the chateau will reserve the tiny production for their own use only.

The first flight of 4 Palmers had two casualties: because of a mixup, the expected 1970 became 1975, and the ex-chateau sample of 1976 was apparently horribly corked. So, the flight was 1960, 1975 and 1989, the latter supplied by the chateau. The 1960 was, as best as I can recall, the first time I’ve ever had any 1960 Bordeaux. It wasn’t a great Palmer, but it was a very good bottle of wine. Bernard noted iodine, and I picked up some smoky, ashtray-like notes. There were no signs of oxidation, and while it’s getting on, it was very much alive, and everyone asked for a refill. The ’75 is a wine with a good reputation, but I’ve yet to have a good bottle of it. This was overripe, very tannic, and disjointed. Fortunately the 1989 was magnificent, good red fruits, a bit of woodsmoke on the nose, perfectly balanced tannin, fruit and acidity, and while structured—I wouldn’t touch another for a decade—the tannin was ripe and not the least bit harsh.

The next wine, Vega Sicilia Unico, caused some dissension. About half the table thought it was corked. I’m usually moderately but not incredibly sensitive to TCA, and I quite liked this, although about an hour in I started to pick up what others were getting. If it was, it was mild. There was also good tobacco, nice medium weight, and some aggressive wood that I hope will integrate. If it does, this’ll grow up to be a great, classic Unico. It was paired with Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva 1959, a wine I’ve had a number of times. I really liked this bottle, although the owner professed disappointment compared to others from the same case, and Bernard de Laage pronounced it tired. The third in the group was, despite excellent provenance, a sadly totally shot bottle of Vina Real 1944. I’ve had enough incredible Vina Reals (Vinas Reales?) from the 1940s through 1960s that I bet a sound example of this wine would be terrific.

Most of the group thought the next wine, Chave Hermitage 1989, was the wine of the night along with the Palmer 1989, although one taster (an expert and wine professional) thought it lacked structure. My suspicion is that he’s used to Bordeaux, and the structure in Chave is all about acidity rather than tannin. It reminded me a lot of the 1983, another wine with lowish tannin that has been cruising along at the same high level over at least the last decade. Absolutely textbook Chave Hermitage. The Gaja Barbaresco 1978 perhaps should have been decanted; it was very correct Barbaresco, but just a little bit disjointed, perhaps either because it wasn’t decanted or because it had taken a fairly extensive tour of Manhattan that day. The BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve 1964 started out showing signs of oxidation, but with some fruit evident on the palate, and with aeration it freshened up and added some cinnamon and herbal American oak.

My contribution was the last thing opened, so I’m glad I didn’t send everyone home with the memory of me bringing a bum bottle! It was Bernkasteler Doctor BA 1971 from Deinhard, with a wonderful back label that says it was "produced solely in the BERNKASTELER DOKTOR Vineyard, straight not blended with any neighboring growths." This is, presumably, a dig at the 1971 German wine law which expanded the historic boundaries of the Doctor vineyard to include part of Bernkasteler Graben. It showed burnt sugar, apple, apricot, and Bernard commented that it reminded him of Sauternes. It started out a little hollow on the palate, but after half an hour or so it had put on weight. The combination of complexity, sweetness and acidity high enough to freshen the palate and keep the wine from being cloying, but not so high as to be out of balance, is why I’d usually rather to end with this rather than Sauternes.

Great good fortune indeed! What a wonderful tasting!

I've never had the pleasure of sampling so many outstanding wines in one evening, though I have had other vintages of many of the wines you mentioned. Usually, at our house, such wines are for very special occasions indeed.

A couple of weeks ago my daughter came to visit from out of town, and we had the 1985 Palmer with a beef tenderloin roast. It is probably aging a bit faster than the '89 (or is it just my cellar?). It seemed fully developed to me, with perhaps a bit less body than what I was expecting for the vintage. The nose was delicate, almost perfumy - it reminded me a bit of Margaux. Nice velvety Merlot character with a little bit of an earthy/leathery/mushroomy note which I would expect more in a Burgundy. If I had more, I wouldn't be keeping them for more than a couple more years.

Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva is a favorite of mine. I'm surprised to see the '59 still around, and not too surpised to hear somebody call it "tired". I'd think the '54 and the '64 would both be better now. I've had the '64 and the '70 (both were extraordinary) , the '88 (not quite as good on its own, but excellent with lamb shanks), as well as other vintages, but I don't remember which years. I only have one bottle of Ygay in the cellar now.

I've never had the pleasure of tasting a Chave Hermitage. I've had Chapoutier, Guigal and Jaboulet. I've got a bottle of Jaboulet's "La Chapelle" '96 squirreled away for a few more years.

Also in the cellar, but only for a few more weeks, is a '76 Bernkasteler Doctor Auslese from Deinhard.

I totally agree with Beerenauslese being a better way to finish a meal than Sauternes, for the reasons you stated.

Actually, I've had quite a few bottles of Ygay 1959, from different sources, and they range from tired to stellar. I don't think old Ygay is quite as good as old CVNE, our experience with the '44 notwithstanding (I've several times had 50s and 60s CVNE against 50s and 60s Unico, and the CVNEs are almost always better), but they can be great.

'96 La Chapelle is drinking reasonably well now. I would expect pretty good things about the '76 Deinhard. I agree completely with your take on Palmer 1985, although middleweight "clarety" Bordeaux can be very surprising in longevity.

As far as special occasion wines go, I'm very fortunate that I have a post in the wine trade that allows me pretty good access to events (sadly, often on my own dime, but I do get a lot of good invites). Fortunately, the vast majority of the time, people do very much appreciate how special these are and how lucky they are to be enjoying them.

Thanks!

Perhaps MadeLiefje would be better off trying Combe aux Jacques rather than Chateau des Jacques. As I understand it, the Chateau des Jacques name is restricted to Moulin-à-Vent. I left out that cru, plus Chénas, Cotes-de-Brouilly and Morgon because they are the bigger, beefier Crus de Beaujolais. Moulin-à-Vent should be aged for a few years, but I guess that MadeLiefje is more intereseted in wines for current consumption. Combe aux Jacques is one of Jadot's Beaujolais Villages products. Perhaps you are aware of a declassified product from Chateau des Jacques of which I haven't heard.

<envious sigh>

I've only ever had one taste of Unico, and I have never found a local source of CVNE.

Nope, I had just thought that all the Jadot Beaujolais went under the Chateau des Jacques name. Good to know.

Just picked up a couple of bottles of Arnot Roberts Syrah (Alder Springs and Griffin's Lair vineyards, both 2006).

California Syrah usually isn't my thing, but I've heard from a couple respected people that these are some serious wines made in more of a Northern Rhone style.

Anybody taste them?


An the other side of the spectrum, I've been on a Chinon kick as of late and had a bottle of the Bernard Baudry Chinon les Granges last night. What insane value. Love his wines and (good) Loire in general.

Does anybody have any favourite Chinon producers?

I don't get a chance to get my chinon as I don't find it around here as much as I'd like, but I've always had success with Bernard Baudry as well

Same here. Love Catherine and Pierre Breton's range too (I think they're all Borgueil, actually, but by me that's close enough) and Clos Rougeard (Saumur, same disclaimer).

I had this a few weeks back, I don't see much upside tbh, it's nicely resolved and a fine drink right now. Had a personal mini vertical of 95 to 99 on consecutive nights, 98 was the clear winner, then 95, 97, 96, 99 pretty evenly matched and all very interesting, but 96 stood out as the most developed.

Baudry is ridiculous, I got 4 cases of 03 grezeaux for 11 euro a bot at a fire sale a while back, the only time my house wine has been enough for me to treat myself.

Off topic but I bought two bottles of Sean Thackrey Orion syrah '97 as a bin end last month. The first one I foolishly opened, tasted, dismissed and served to guests, the second was a revelation. I opened it because I wanted a sneaky extra glass before bed, already a few bottles deep. Again it seemed bland and blowsy, could have been a nondescript barossa shiraz. I went on a bender for the weekend and forgot about it. On monday evening, three days later, I decided to give it a another shot and it was sublime, probably my best vinous experience of the year. Deep and earthy and powerful and elegant and delicious and somehow poetic. Beat any Hermitage I've had recently and made a recent Henschke edelstone taste like bag wine. I wish I was in the U.S. to track down every last bottle, apparently there's a few in a winebar in Bergen, Norway and I'm half planning a trip there in the spring! It was that good. Find it!

one thing I've noticed with the 96 is a bit of bottle variation. I've had it on three occasions over the past two years and twice its needed a good bit of time and the other time it was very ready to go. basically my advice is trust that its la chapelle and it will develop further

Thanks for the views, guys. I have found some other sources that also say the '96 is drinking well now.

I guess I will mark it in my database as ready for 2011, but I am not going to panic and assume I must drink it within the year.

I'm not surprised that the '96 seems the most developed out of '95-'99. I think it may have been the poorest year of the five for Hermitage. I'm certainly not looking to hang on to it for another decade.

La Chapelle '99 is pretty good but the '97 and '98 are seriously terrible. Rough era for the family.

and the 99 also has had some real wicked bottle variation from what I've experienced too. They seemed to get things fully back together by 01 and of course they recently sold and Caroline Frey has bastardized the label

The wide range of opinion here about the quality of the '98 La Chapelle inspired me to look for more reviews of La Chapelle for the second half of the '90s. It seems like there is a wide range of views out there too.

Some say that the '98 is the only good one of the decade since '90. Others say it is better than most other La Chapelle vintages of the decade, but doesn't compare favorably to other makers' '98s. Several commentators put the '96 ahead of anything from later in the decade. OTOH, some reviewers give La Chapelle consistently high marks throughout the second half of the decade.

In comparing reviews of the '96 to the '98, there just doesn't seem to be a consensus. For instance, Wine Advocate puts the '96 ahead of the '98. Wine Spectator has the reverese.

Several people follow Jancis Robinson on the idea that the firm fell apart after the death of Gérard (head of the firm) in '97. (If so, I got lucky in obtaining a '96.) Others suggest that it may even have been in decline since '92, when Jacques (estate director) was disabled.

About the only consensus seems to be that for Hermitage in general, '98 was a better year than '96. From this perhaps we can derive that the La Chapelle '96 was a better achievement relative to the vintage than was the '98.

Myself, I have no opinion, not yet having tasted anything from Jaboulet after the '95 vintage.

Anyone who's saying THAT hasn't had the 1990 in too long, as multiple personal notes as well as reports from others over the last 3 years have me absolutely convinced that the wine has collapsed from the combination of overripeness and low acidity that, no doubt, made it incredibly appealing on release. The chances that these poor showings are storage-related is pretty low as most were purchased on release and stored in cellars I've had plenty of wine from.

Yes, I know Parker keeps retasting it and giving it more glowing reviews, but on this wine the market suggests that he's the outlier. It's noteworthy that the auction price of the wine is currently well below the highs, even as most of the fine wine market is at or above levels last seen in 2007.

A shame, as the 1979, 1981, 1983, 1988 and 1991 can be excellent, and the '61 and '78 live up to their reputation (haven't had the '61 in a decade though--anyone want to help me out on that?).

Sorry. I didn't mean to imply that all the reviews are of tastings in the last year or two. In fact some of the tastings that compare two vintages are done years apart. I think they are meant to compare the wines at their respective peaks.

I'm certainly not relying on Parker here. His tastes are not the same as mine. (One advantage of this is that his influence on the market doesn't always hit me in the pocketbook.)

I haven't tasted it yet, ofc, but I would guess from the growing conditions that the '96 is less likely to be plagued by low acid and over-ripeness.

I've been sorely disappointed by a few '96 Hermitage this year, the Delas Bessards was thin and dull, Chapoutier's Pavillon was ugly and disjointed with an odd dry banana skin finish, and the Chave was the weakest I've had, still bloody good though. I really should give up on the vintage but I can get a half case of the Chapoutier Sizeranne for £120 ($190), does anyone have any experience of it? It's actually the first hermitage I ever tasted so it's got a lot to answer for.

I'm not much of a Chapoutier fan, but there's enough consistent notes on cellartracker that I would think you can't go too far wrong owning it at that price, assuming you mean £120 for all 6 and not apiece!

Haven't had Chave '96 in a couple of years. I remember it having decent fruit but a weird astringency. Chave did make quite a nice '96 blanc though.

Bad run here. Yesterday's Margaux 1960 was extremely tired; not a huge surprise but I hoped for more after the surprisingly good Palmer. Along with it I pulled an OK but very overtly sugary Zind-Humbrecht Rotenberg Pinot Gris VT 1994, big step down from the two ZH 1994 Rieslings from a couple months ago. Today it was Coche-Dury Bourgogne Blanc 1995, which was premoxed. Dammit.

I'm going to assume this is no ordinary Bourgogne Blanc, but all the same, you expect it to hold up this long? Not sure I'd call that "premature" oxidation.

Had a dinner yesterday with a friend and we had a bottle of "Romano Dalforno" valpolicella 2004.
At one point i've said:" when i put this in my mouth ,it's a bliss" ( i hope this translation makes sense ).
This wine is simply amazing, one of the best, if not the best , i've ever had. since from opened the perfumes are intenses, i would say almost balsamic. the tasting is awesome, witrh a very good connection with nose, fleshy, with an (almost) infinite persistence. wonderful . Despite being over 15% is quite fresh and drinkable, even if we had just a tagliolini with white truffle which is not the best pairing i guess.
I dunno if this producer is easy to find in the US, but in case i have to reccomend it .

True, at age 15 I did consider the possibility of "normal-ox," but a wine like this should (I think--first tasting note I've had the BB '95, but I've had a reasonable amount of Coche at various levels and feel I have some idea of their aging curve) have been getting on, but still Coche-y and alive. This was totally stripped of fruit and pretty dark, completely undrinkable.

It's not incredibly widely distributed here, but it's certainly available in major cities, and I've seen it on restaurant lists. Not cheap though!